7 Suggestions and tips for successful Food Prepping
Don't discount food prep. Food prep is HUGE when it comes to finding that healthy YOU we always talk about here at BBSHW. Is it a pain? YES! All things that are good for us to some degree are. But organization in our kitchen is truly the key to getting the quality of life and perhaps the body we always wanted. Reality? I want my clients food prepping like a pro, so here are some tips to help you prep like a pro...
Don't freak out! We are not talking a whole weekend commitment. Be creative. Think outside the box, and let's start working from the inside OUT so that healthy begins to look good on us.
1. Carve out a time
"I don't have the time!" is probably the number one excuse I have coming at me. Can I just tell you this is a self made obstacle, one of your own design. So we need to face the reality, we have to overcome this obstacle of 'time' on our way to health and wellness. To really own food prepping skills, it will almost always narrow down to YOU choosing to give yourself the time to do it.
"I work late!" I feel you, so don't do it late. Trying to tackle food prep AFTER work is going to set you up for failure. So we need to find YOUR Sunday. 'Sunday' for you may be any of the seven days. It's that day where you have a block of time where we can just grab hold of this sucker and complete it all at once! We are going to knock out the next three days, breakfast lunch dinner and snacks, before midweek reset, and do it again!
I know it seems overwhelming at first. It may even seem like a lot of work, but soon it will just become part of who you are. A planner. A doer. An overcomer. An excuse REMOVER!
2. Planning!
Ever heard about the Best Laid Plans? Planning out what you're going to eat all through the week will ensure success! It's a whole lot easier to skip fast food or unhealthy on the go food when you've got a good plan. Also, food set up, means it falls within the nutrition goals that you and I or you and your coach have set up. So made a calendar for the week and write down what you would like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Within that, you also need to know what all of your post-workout meals are, and all of your snacks, so everything is planned out. Make a plan and then STICK TO IT! Prepare your meals according to the plan you created.
Make sure you also know what you can and cannot freeze so that we don't waste any food. There are a lot off different soups, curries, sauces and casseroles that freeze well. In my experience, it helps to freeze the recipes made in large batches, and then you can place the frozen meal to defrost and then cook them up in 5-10 min the next day! Or maybe you can even make meals that microwave easily. Most cooked meat seems to stay good for 2-3 days in the fridge.
3. Tupper-where?
Tupperware! Oh my goodness, you have got to have an overabundance of portion controlled sized tupperwares! If there is a sale on your favorites, get them. Somehow the magical lid monster eats them at my house, kind of like the sock monster, but that's a whole other blog! lol. Invest in at least 10-15 containers to accommodate all sorts of meals. You'll also want to get the smaller tubs for nuts and for dressings you have made and sauces.
4. Microwaaaaaaaaave!
There is a lot of misinformation about this amazing tool in the fitness world. I encourage you to check out some of the newer studies about the microwave if you're concerned. New studies suggest that microwaving certain foods will not affect their nutritional value and maybe even help retain key minerals that are lost through boiling! As a busy mom this is such good news for me!
So say goodbye to boiling big batches of jasmine rice! And say Hello little pack of microwavable stuff that's done with no fuss no muss! I am ALL about efficiency, and the microwaving of certain foods is a great way of cutting down on time in front of the stove or oven, and sorry all you nay sayers, it's not bad for you!
Let me JUST add here though, make sure your containers are MICROWAVE SAFE. I mean let's not go into the many containers I have melted through the years.
5. It's called a FOOD SCALE
Ok, so I RARELY rely on a bathroom scale to tell me I feel healthy, but when it comes to food prep, I am one who really utilizes the scale. There's a large caloric different between a 4 oz chicken breast and a 6 oz chicken breast, but unless you're weighing them, you could be sabotaging yourself. Macronutrient goals are critical in trying to shed fat from our frame. It's also possible to not eat ENOUGH, which again will slow down our progress with our goals.
Invest in a set of scales. Electronic ones work better but a food scale that works, is a food scale that works. This is a seriously important tool in learning to control your portion sizes!
6. Oven Roasting, Crockpots, and Ninjas O my!
Food prep for me involves several things. I'm a huge stoneware fan when it comes to oven roasting, but what I do when I oven roast, is I'll do 3 days worth of food. But you will see me doing chicken breasts in the crock pot with my favorite recipe which you should get access to when you sign up to work with me, and at the same time, utilizing the oven for veggies, my rice cooker for rice, and then my Ninja will blend up an amazing nutritious sauce. Don't be afraid of using as many tools at you need to make your time more efficient!
7. Stocking up
Making sure your pantry is well stocked is a one-way ticket to Healthy Town! Having the right foods in, and hopefully by now the wrong foods OUT, and a great collection of herbs and spices makes you a master chef of food prep in no time! You want to open up variety for yourself, so keep the spices you like, get rid of the ones you don't. Flavor is HUGE when you're only using a few ingredients!
Coconut oil and liquid aminos (clean soy sauce) and spices on hands will save you time and money as well. This makes your Food Prep 'Sunday' the best experience for everyone in your family!
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